S3Ep2
The second episode of the third season of NCCotB features Monstopolis, The Gourd and The Benefits of Research. Plot Monstopolis The toons (primarily Hector, Ghastly, Skarr, Pearl, Garnet, Billy, Mandy, Grim, Eustace, Ed, Edd and Eddy) are called over to Herb's house, where he unveils a replica of an old car that could fit twelve people at once. He intends to make more of them in order to make money if the prototype is successful. Before anyone could test it, Skarr brings up how Hector and Ghastly have been arguing over one of the latter's experiments, an old-man robot (which she brought with her). The two get into a physical fight, and Ghastly is knocked into the robot, activating him. The gang goes to hide in the car and the robot gets into it. It reminisces, causing the car and everyone in it to be sent to a new dimension. They observe the new dimension and they learn that its full of deadly monsters. They search for the robot, but Ghastly and Hector's bickering prevents them from making progress. The gang soon faces a giant monster, which manages to overpower them and causes a pile of rocks to fall on Hector. Ghastly mourns Hector's supposed death, blaming their pointless argument on herself, but she is relieved to find that Hector is alive and well. Back on track, the gang fixes up the car and they soon locate the old man. Ghastly tells everyone that the only way they could make it home is if they trigger a modern memory for the old man. They get him to rant about modern day tapioca and they're sent back home. Robin approaches them, questioning where Cyborg is, but the gang ignores him and they go off to get some rest. We pan over to the destroyed car and we see that the inside of it was made of Cyborg's body parts. The Gourd The toons are present in Townsville City Hall, as part of a meeting involving continuous attacks from a villain known as "The Gourd". Eddy brings up how The Gourd seems to focus more on the Cul De Sac kids than any of the other characters, and he claims that whomever could reveal the identity of The Gourd would get whatever they want from the Eds. The Kanker Sisters overhear this and they decide to capture The Gourd so the Eds could return the Kankers' affections. The three attempt to lure The Gourd by using Marie as bait, but The Gourd beats her up and leaves before the other two could capture him. After multiple failed ideas, Marie backs out of the plan entirely. Lee and May decide to search for The Gourd's secret base and they manage to find it through pure luck. Lee is led into The Gourd's lab after hearing Eddy's voice. She comes across a portal and sees Eddy's hand reaching out of it. She goes closer and the hand pulls off Lee's skin. May tries to go for help, but she falls after slipping on spilled wood varnish. Soon, the door to the base closes on her. The toons arrive and they manage to revive May, who runs off rambling about why she came in the first place, only to run into oncoming traffic. The two are taken to the hospital, where Lee is given her skin back, only with her lips stitched shut. The Gourd soon arrives and he begins to attack everyone, but he is soon overpowered, and is revealed to be Jonny 2x4. He apologizes for his actions and he claims that he terrorized the Cul De Sac because he was outcasted after attacking the Eds. Touched by his words, the toons decide to give him another chance. Soon, Starfire arrives and she attacks Jonny (and the rest of the toons by mistake). The toons attack Starfire and throw her into the marshmallow pit where she is promptly eaten. The Benefits of Research (She-Line) The episode begins with Ashley and Ryan wandering through the woods, from their training ground. After Ryan falls down a weak slope, the two discover an old building in the distance. They investigate the building and they find that it's an old library. The two decide to investigate the library, particularly Ryan who wants to know more about his second curse. While browsing, Ashley notices an odd marking beneath Ryan's right wrist. She finds a book and locates the symbol. The symbol represents the mark of the god of anger, Andris. In an attempt to defeat him, Andris' soul was transferred into the bodies of two cat people, but Andris managed to survive, taking the form of a normal cat. The transfer also backfired, as the two cat people became destructive and led to the execution of the cat people. Ryan is shocked over this, refusing to believe it. The stress and fear over him likely being responsible for killing his kind leads him to transform back into the creature. Ashley attempts to calm him down, but he doesn't listen. It isn't until Ashley leads him to a mirror that he sees what he has become, causing him to break down and cry. He returns to normal and Ashley comforts him, saying that she'll be there for him, even with his curse. As Ashley gets back up, Ryan notices she has a similar mark near her waist. Before he could bring it up, Ashley runs off, challenging Ryan to a race back to the house, which he participates in. Trivia * First NCCotB episode to center around The Kanker Sisters. * Most of the scenes pay homage to Aqua Teen Hunger Force and The Simpsons. * Marie is listening to "How You Remind Me" by Nickelback when she's shown in her room. * The movie playing in the theatre is The Sun Room, an early film by Brian Grispon. * When the gang is sent to the new dimension, we see that Herb, Mark and George don't have human skeletons. * Strange intends to kill off the Titans individually, starting with Cyborg and Starfire. * Strange intended to end The Gourd by having Starfire get framed for terrorizing CN City, but this was decided against at the last minute. * Strange has claimed that additional pieces of clothing will be added to Ashley and Ryan's designs in a future episode. This is referenced when the two are discussing a sale on vests.